Honeywood executive chef Josh Smouse visits with guests at the University of Kentucky South Farm dinner.

’Tis the season of prime produce in Kentucky, with voluptuous harvests of tomatoes, corn, beans, potatoes, fruits like melons and tons more of delicious, fresh food.

No one is more a fan of this season than Chef Josh Smouse. Chef Josh’s menus at Honeywood year-round reflect the best of Kentucky farms, but he’s been sharing his particular fondness of summer produce by creating a dinner series with our neighbor, the University of Kentucky’s South Farm, at the corner of Man O’ War and Nicholasville Road. Come join Josh and South Farm staff for the next dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 12, with food from the French Mediterranean region of Provence.

“Everyone has driven by South Farm, but most don’t know what goes on in there,” Josh said. “At the dinner event, a person can see what they do as well as taste it.”

“Patrons can get a glimpse of life on the farm while enjoying the fruits of our labors with vegetable-based fare and wines and ciders only available at the farm,” said Kristi Durbin, CSA manager at the Organic Farming Unit at South Farm and event partner. “Getting a taste of Kentucky and supporting our local food system at the same time is what these events are all about.”

Chef Josh has vegetable skills: His beetloaf is one of the most storied menu items at Honeywood. He served an incredible tomato pie at the last South Farm dinner, which has been popular at Honeywood, too, as has been the gazpacho, called a “standout” in a recent review.

The next dinner is Sept. 12, Provence in Kentucky, will be a memorable Mediterranean-style experience, with Chef Josh-prepared appetizers, food stations along a tour of the farm, wines, ciders and dinner.

UK enology Extension specialist Jeff Wheeler is very informative and excited about the wines and ciders he's making, which makes it both educational and fun, said Leslee Macpherson, Honeywood general manager, who assists at the South Farm Dinner. Guests can purchase wine to take home at the dinner.

Come spend an evening with these people and their cuisine and wine passions, and talk with them about their work.

“I like that the South Farm dinners are laid back, and feel more like a field trip and picnic instead of a seated, formal wine-paired dinner,” Leslee said. “It’s a farm party.”